RED OAK — An 18-year-old man was arrested Friday in connection with the fatal drive-by shooting of a zebra named Zambi.

Joshua Romano of Red Oak faces a charge of cruelty to animals.

Zambi was shot dead July 5 as he grazed in a pasture at HiView Farms outside of Waxahachie, said Lt. Kevin Ketchum of the Ellis County Sheriff's Office. The farm is also home to camels, llamas and ring-tailed lemurs.

The owner of the farm was outside working at the time of the shooting, Ketchum told The Dallas Morning News in a story on the paper's Web site Friday.

Romano and four friends were swimming in a creek but had to leave because of rain. They spotted the zebra as they were driving down a road near the farm. That's when Romano pulled out a deer rifle and shot Zambi dead, Ketchum said. The animal was worth about $10,000.

Romano's friends tried to prevent him from shooting the zebra, and the driver sped up to make the shooting more difficult, Ketchum said.